Poll Do You Sleep With A Gun Under Your Pillow?

[iwannadeletethis]

Do you sleep with a gun under your pillow?

A knife or throwing knives!

 

[Chava]

No, but I've slept with a knife under my pillow.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I live alone now. First time in 7 years. I bought a modern handgun a few weeks ago and it lays, loaded, on the table next to my bed. There is another, out of date gun, unloaded in my living room and there is a knife on my kitchen bar area.

I bought my first gun for my hobby and for fun and it ended up feeling it was good for my protection so I bought a modern one too.

 

[Changing4Best]

I've been Baker Acted before (that is, forced to stay in a mental institution by law, for 78 hours). This disqualifies me from owning or having a gun in my possession. Also, since I have attempted suicide with intent, not just for attention, I don't think I should own one. It would be too easy, when I would get into one of those moods....

 

[InvisibleSun]

No guns..but when the PTSD was real bad, I always had a knife under my pillow and a knife directly next to the bed. Eventually felt comfortable enough to sleep without them. But if I'm home alone overnight, the knives go back. I get really panicky and paranoid, checking the house and locking the doors obsessively. Extremely hypervigilant. So it's a work in progress..

 

[Neverthesame]

Not a gun. Don't own one, don't feel a need too.

I used to work with a guy a few years ago, who was one of those kids who sneak into dad's gun drawer when the parents are away. He accidentally shot himself through the head. Miracle he survived. Though he does suffer from a paralysed arm, as well as the anger issues than can accompany a TBI. Though cognitively he is still sharp as a tac. Nice guy as well, can lift more with his one arm than I can with both of mine, ha.

I don't have a problem with other people owning guns, but for myself. I prefer to keep something I can weild somewhat more effectively. Like a knife, of which I own several.

Otherwise I just try to do good preventative measures to protect myself from possible home invasion. Such as being very particular about who I bring to my house, security system, don't leave valuables visible through windows and have someone I trust take in my mail if I will be away for several days.

Not to mention, I have battled depression and suicidal thoughts on and off for years, while trying to avoid medication as much as possible. Being completely honest, sometimes I don't trust myself with a gun.

 

[Ivan the Elder]

I always have an open knife within easy reach. Used to have a Ruger security six .357 magnum but sold it because it is a hassle to keep handguns here. Had 4 rifles and a shotgun, shotgun always nearby but when my ex wife got me sent to the psych ward earlier this year she cleaned out all the firearms and gave them to the RCMP. She was freaked out for reasons that made no sense at all, especially since she is fully licensed. She could have just locked up the ammo if she was worried about me. I am not the violent type and have never abused any person or animal at all, ever. I am a firearms safety instructor here and was cleared in the US Army up to artillery nukes.

Now I don't have anything other than a seven inch ceramic knife and similar. That makes me feel kind of nervous now that I am living down town instead of well out in the country. I have a security camera but I suspect if I put it out on the balcony of my apartment other people might get a little upset. I do also have a fancy cane I built that has what looks like silver engraving near the bottom. If you try to grab the cane by the bottom it then slices your skin on the sharp edges of the stainless steel wire in the engraving. Yes, I am always super vigilant.

Yeah, I know this sounds pretty stupid considering what I just wrote, but I am super non violent. Since I was locked up in the psych ward (No psych illness found, my wife said I wanted to kill myself, they didn't notice my PTSD) I have a major cue that instantly activates my PTSD whenever I hear anybody arguing or anything that sounds like violence. The ward was full of people banging their heads on walls and screaming during the night. The guards tackled one guy and pinned him to the concrete floor because he was walking toward the exit during visitor hours. They gimped his leg when they did that. It really upset me and I had to stand and watch it. I wasn't allowed to move. I have also watched people die from severe trauma in the past. Once in the army a grenade went off about four feet from me but I was low enough it all missed me. My left eardrum is permanently blown open. I was a medic in the army as well as other qualifications.

I have never felt suicidal until very recently but I am not contemplating suicide. I am just not doing all the things I used to do to keep myself alive with my medical conditions. I wouldn't ever shoot myself, that would leave too much mess. There are much easier and cleaner ways to kill yourself and with zero pain. No, I will not say how.

 

[ppdpl9324]

No, I keep a small tactical flashlight under my pillow. The handgun is on the nightstand in a lockbox that is a functioning docking speaker station for my phone.

 

[Felicia0330]

I do not sleep with a gun under my pillow. I do sleep with pepper spray next to me. I want to buy a gun soon because I live in a dangerous neighborhood.

 

[gealach]

Not a gun, but a blunt weapon close to hand

 

[turtlemoon]

Not under my pillow, but my shotgun is nearby where I can get to it quickly. It isn't loaded, and the only ammo I have is just bird shot for hunting, and that is locked up. In a pinch it can be used much the same way as a baseball bat.

 

[Engineer]

I sleep with the suicide hotline under my pillow and always have a light nearby to search for intruders at any sudden noise.